The Lord shall have us come up, and the judgments will begin. Isn't that so clear?
In Luke 21 he describes the signs for the Lord's coming, nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom, earthquakes, famines, pestilences, fearful sights in heaven. All this along side the Jews occupying Jerusalem. In verse 28 he tells us when these things begin to come to pass, look up, our redemption is at hand. (redemption is deliverance)
Matthew 24:37But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (our redemption, and then) 40........two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Speaking of the judgments to come upon earth after the church has been removed. We certainly wouldn't want to be here for any of that.
42Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
If unbelieving, and left behind you may be one of these in the field or one grinding at the mill. This shows us a picture of half the population during tribulation will fall to the judgments.
2 in the field, 2 in the mill, is four , two are taken, that's half. I've heard some try to preach this as the rapture, but we know for a fact that half the worlds population isn't relying on the blood of Jesus, so it can't be the rapture.
It says .....the coming of the Son of man. -his coming right? verse 40 starts by saying, then, meaning after that. Judgment begins, and the people start dropping. Half the population of those left behind fall to the 21 judgments to be unleashed on earth during the tribulation period.
Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things ( judgments) that shall (future tense) come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. There the Lord himself gives us the key to avoiding tribulation. Watch and pray!
Revelation 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Notice "from" in that verse. In the Greek, the word used there is "ek" which means "out of". The word "ek" is used 150 times. Every time meaning "out of".
For instance,
Matthew 2:15 .....Out of Egypt have I called my son.
Matthew 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,
Revelation 3:16 I will spue thee out of my mouth.
"ek" always means - out of.
Right in the beginning of verse four we hear the words "come up hither", which is this "ek" for the church of the true believers in the Lord Jesus. It may surprise you to find that we receive a special crown for watching for his blessed appearance. We also find that it is the Lord, that gives these crowns when he appears.
2Timothy 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. The Watchers Crown.
1Peter 5:4And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
We see very clearly that crowns come with the Lord's appearance right?
Ok, now look at a picture of the rapture. Revelation 4:1After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
There's the shout, "COME UP HITHER"! He likens it to a trumpet. (Feast of Trumpets) The Lord then shows him the things that will come after he's called up.
Revelation 4:10The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, We know for sure that crowns only come with the Lord's appearing, and these men are casting their crowns before the throne, meaning - they have seen the Lord!
Here's the church in verse 5 singing a new song.
Rev. 5:9And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed (past tense) us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; (lots of people)10And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall (future tense) reign on the earth.
There's the church on the other side, singing praises to the Lord for being worthy to begin the judgments, and for redeeming us, and also singing of coming back to earth to reign seven years later. We see just as it was with Noah and Lot, the Lord begins to open the seals, right after the church is "ek"out of harms way. At that time the antichrist will rise up and take over the world.
He can't do anything as long as the believers are present. It's the Holy Spirit that lives in us that holds the antichrist in check, but once the church is gone, he stands right up.
1John 4:3And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
2 Thessalonians 2:7For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he (Holy Spirit) who now letteth will let, until he (Holy Spirit) be taken out of the way.
We know the Holy Spirit is omnipresent and he can not be removed, but if you think in the sense that the Holy Spirit dwells in the believers, and if the believers be removed, then I guess you could say the Holy Spirit has been removed from the population of earth or taken out of the way.
2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness....... There is no way antichrist could over come the earth right now with all the believers present, we'd spoil his plan right off. But once we're gone he will have little resistance overcoming those who remain.
Ezekiel 13:30:2 Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woe worth the day! 3For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen. NOT THE CHURCH.
I think you can see that we are in no danger of tribulation falling while we are present, but if one day you find that multitudes have vanished from the face of the earth, you then will know Jesus has come, and of course it will be too late to prepare. For then it will cost you your life in the name of Jesus, to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. So don't wait, prepare yourself and your loved ones to escape the coming judgment and receive your crown of righteousness.
Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. 15That day is a day of wrath, ..........
1Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath (no tribulation for believers), but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep (alive or dead), we should live together with him. 11Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
LOOK UP!
